Monday, April 21, 2014

Cannabis Use in Thailand

Cannabis,
also known as marijuana and ganja in Thailand is arguably the most
controversial plant in history. Most government and police organizations, view
it is a dangerous substance and its users are criminals. To others, the plant
is considered to be anything from a fairly benign recreational substance to a miracle
plant with a countless medicinal and industrial uses.

Eric Blair writing for for thailawforum has published an engaging article on the history of cannabis in Thailand.

A little known fact is that Cannabis has historically been used in Southeast Asia as: an ingredient, a condiment in foods, a medicine, and a source of fiber. The most well known historical example of Cannabis being used as a spice in Thailand is the famous boat noodle soup, although using Cannabis as a coking ingredient has long since been outlawed in Thailand.

Despite Cannabis being illegal since 1937, many tourist and counter-culture hotspots of Thailand have a
large drug tourism scene. Chaninat & Leeds criminal attorney, Phiriya
Weerasawadi warns“just
because a
destination is well-known for marijuana does not mean you won’t get arrested
for using. The majority of drug arrest cases come from tourist areas such as Khao San Road and
Koh Phangan”.